CooperBeast - BP500-2

CooperBeast is an October 2002 build Mini Cooper in Chili red with a white roof, which we got from new at the start of November 2002.

He is a very special car to us as really the whole car enthusiasm and interest really kicked in when we got this car. MINI is more than just a car it is a whole way of life with a whole MINI scene attached. In recognition of this and the special place this car has in our hearts it is our intention to never sell CooperBeast - truly he is family.

So What is it Like?

Every control is sharp and immediate. Steering, clutch, gearshift all feel like extensions of yourself. No slop at all. And the same can be said of the Sports Suspension. Bang, crash, wallop is the order of the day. The designers tried very hard to make it feel like a go-kart. And succeeded.

Though the MINI Cooper isn't actually very fast, and most 2.0 litre repmobiles will stay with you away from the lights, it FEELS fast. So fast that everyone else appears to have slowed down. The roadholding is astonishing and you don't have to slow down for corners. The trouble is, everyone else does, which means that in traffic you're always stuck behind someone.

Some bits on the MINI are simply wonderful. Like the view through the letterbox windscreen in the rain with the dinky little wipers slappin' time. More like a chopped-top MiniSprint than a Mini. And the leather-rim steering wheel is just the right size, just the right thickness and exactly the right angle. And the rev counter on the column with its red light zone red line. And the chain-cam engine. And the fantastic un-Mini-like access to it. There really is loads to like.

The car grows on you. You learn its quirks and limits and adapt to the best way to drive it. You use any excuse to get out on the roads in it. Quite simply, no small sports car I can think of is anything like as much fun to drive.

That's the best way to sum it up. The MINI Cooper is the most fun car to drive there is.